After a front mech for a build, has to be 28.6 and top pull.

Traditionally gone for Shimano, but can I use SRAM??

To work with 9psd Xt shifters (M770)

Is there much between a deore front mech and an XT? Or can I use SRAM if they’re better?

Cheers

Shimano are better, they all shift the same, higher models just look prettier

Used SRAM once – didn’t last long at all. My experience of Shimano – the more you pay, the longer (marginally) they last, the nicer they look and the lighter they are.

The two main types of shimano mech are top swing (with a low clamp) and bottom swing (with a high clamp). Top swing have lots of pivots and thin plates, the shifting tends to be smooth and with a light action, but the durability, with all those pivots, isn’t great & shifting suffers over time. Bottom swing are much longer lasting and are stiffer, but the action isn’t as light top swing.

I had one incidence where a bottom swing mech clamp band fouled the lower bottle boss on the seat tube. If you have a low bottle mount, it would be worth getting a top swing.

I still have a damaged thumb from using a SRAM front mech. way way stiffer than the big S, (and yes it was set-up correctly, mechanic by trade).

Shimano FTW

APF